Oregon agrees to pay $1.5 million to settle wrongful death lawsuit filed by estate of Jeanette Maples

The state of Oregon has agreed to pay $1.5 million to settle a lawsuit filed on behalf of a Eugene teenager murdered by her mother in what Lane County authorities have called one of the worst cases of child abuse they've seen.

Jeanette Maples was 15 years old when authorities found her body at her Eugene home in 2009. Her injuries, including an exposed femur, suggested prolonged starvation and beatings. State welfare officials received reports that the girl was being abused, but did not remove her from the home.

Jeanette's mother, Angela McAnulty, pleaded guilty to aggravated murder and was sentenced to death. Her stepfather, Richard McAnulty, also pleaded guilty and is serving a minimum 25-year prison sentence.

The Department of Justice did not have an estimate Wednesday of the costs to defend the state in the lawsuit, which was initiated by Jeanette's biological father, Anthony Maples. But the payout adds to the list of costs borne by taxpayers in this case.

Taxpayers also are paying to house the McAnultys in state prison, she at Coffee Creek and he at Snake River. Jeanette's younger brother and sister were placed in foster care following the couple's arrest.

Anthony Maples will receive most of the settlement as the teenager's sole heir. Her mother is disqualified from receiving proceeds.

In a phone interview Wednesday, Maples explained going after the state for failing to take care of his child.

"It's not like I need the money. It's almost like I don't want the money because of where it came from," he said. "I know that's hard to fathom."

Maples, a 43-year old worker at a concrete plant, said he takes responsibility for not being there for Jeanette, a girl he last saw in Sacramento when she was still in grammar school. He said he had just been released from prison. They went to see a movie, probably "Atlantis: The Lost Empire," an animated film about a young adventurer.

"She was so happy being with her father. I remember her smile and her giggle," he said.

Jeanette was the youngest of three children born to Maples and Angela McAnulty. Maples has been in and out of prison since 1990, all for drug-related offenses. The couple lost custody of the children to California authorities in the 1990s.

Angela, however, regained custody of Jeanette and moved to Oregon after marrying Richard McAnulty.

Signs of abuse

On Dec. 9, 2008, authorities responded to a 9-1-1 call from the parents after Jeanette wouldn't get up. Police arrived to find blood on the walls of a bedroom, with a bucket of "reddish soapy water" nearby.

The mother eventually acknowledged striking Jeanette with a belt and a sewing yardstick. She said she tried to fix the girl's wounds with iodine and bandages, even though she could see bone.

She had been tormenting her daughter for years, keeping food locked up, and making her sleep on cardboard so the girl wouldn't dirty the carpet with her blood, according to court records and testimony.

In 2011, Portland lawyer David Paul filed a wrongful death suit against the Oregon Department of Human Services, alleging that state officials could have prevented the girl's death had they "exercised reasonable care in responding to reports that Jeanette Maples was being abused."

Child welfare reports

There were at least four reports to the state child welfare division dating to 2006 -- one about a week before Maples' death. But caseworkers failed to intervene. The girl had been taken out of school, making her condition harder to detect.

No Oregon child welfare worker was fired as a result of the case. But employees were disciplined, and one worker was reassigned. The agency has changed its policies to consider a child's age more carefully when following up on claims of abuse or neglect.

On Wednesday, the agency directed inquiries to the Department of Justice, where spokesman Tony Green called the settlement "the right resolution to a difficult case."

The $1.5 million is the maximum amount allowed under state tort law for lawsuits filed against the state before July 2010. Paul's office will receive one-third of the settlement.

Jeanette's step-grandmother, Lynn McAnulty, who had alerted authorities to the abuse, has said Maples doesn't deserve to benefit from his daughter's death. She could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.

Priscila Hasselman helped start the Jeanette Maples Project in Lane County, a group that aims to promote awareness of child abuse. Hasselman wrote in an e-mail that child abuse killed Jeanette and it continues to harm other children.

"One would hope Mr. Maples uses the money awarded to the Jeanette Maples' estate for a higher purpose than just personal gain," she said.